Shopping and Dining

Development analysts said Livonia was home to one of metro Detroit’s three hot beds of redevelopment in 2014 with some 370,000 square feet of new construction for restaurants and stores in the Middlebelt Road-Schoolcraft Road area.

This area already had locations for major retailers Costco, Home Depot, Meijer, and Menard’s. The new construction projects in 2014 added stores for retailers Dick’s Sporting Goods, Rally House, and Jo-Ann Fabrics. The projects also provided new restaurants for Outback Steakhouse, Del Taco, Applebee’s, Culver’s, and Starbucks Coffee, each of which will open in fall 2014 or early 2015. Spaces are being constructed for several other retailers and eateries in this area for new tenants to open in 2015.

This expansive area of new shops compliments three other regional shopping centers in Livonia. Laurel Park Place Mall at Newburgh and Six Mile roads is anchored by department stores for Von Maur and Carson’s. Another major retailer, yet to be announced as of early 2015, is committed to lease space in the Mall.

Wonderland Village at Middlebelt and Plymouth roads is anchored by stores for Target and Walmart. Livonia Marketplace at Seven Mile and Middlebelt roads is anchored by stores for Kohl’s and Walmart, located next door to an independent site for Sears. Each of these sites underwent significant redevelopment over the past decade that attracted many new stores to Livonia.

In the middle of a sports-craved region, Livonia is home to a number of trendy sports bars that are lively during professional and major college games. Livonia is home to one of Michigan’s two Dave and Busters location which opened in winter 2013-14, which provided a large venue for food and drink, video games, and watching games, and attracts patrons from hours away.

1-Under Bar and Grill on Five Mile Road underwent interior renovations in 2014, expanded its menu to include some 100 craft beers, and rebranded to 1-Under Eats and Craft Beers.

Each of the following Livonia sports bars underwent renovations in recent years: Coach’s Corner on Farmington Road, Bar Louie at Laurel Park Place Mall, Doc’s Sports Retreat at Victor Corporate Park, George Murphy’s at the Creek on Seven Mile Road, Time Out Sports Bar and Grill on Plymouth Road, and Tin Cup on Newburgh Road.

Additionally, there are a number of unique, long-standing, family-run restaurants across Livonia such as Senate Coney Island, Mama Mia’s Italian Cuisine, G. Subu’s Leather Bottle, Luigi’s Pizza Café, and O’Malley’s Bar and Grill.

Several other eateries opened in Livonia in 2014. Tim Horton’s Café and Coffee Shops opened two new spots on Five Mile Road, one near Merriman Road and the other near Newburgh Road. A family-run business opened its fourth Jimmy John’s location in Livonia on Middlebelt Road near Seven Mile, a location with drive-through service. A new restaurant chain, Hot Head Burritos, opened its first Michigan location on Five Mile near Merriman in Livonia. Biggby Coffee opened a new shop next to a movie rental shop on the corner of Newburgh Road and Ann Arbor Trail. Dunkin Donuts is constructing a new shop on the corner of Plymouth Road and Wayne Road.

One of metro Detroit’s finest restaurant corridors is along Haggerty Road. These fine-dining establishments along Livonia’s western border include Andimo’s, Bravo, Mitchell’s Fish Market, and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar.

Livonia is home to one of the largest collections of banquet and conference facility space in Michigan with Laurel Manor, Burton Manor, Schoolcraft College VisTaTech Center, St. Mary’s Cultural Center, Italian-American Club of Livonia, and several hotels and restaurants with meeting space.